Injury patterns in children with frequent emergency department visits

Abstract

Objectives: To compare injury patterns in children with many and few emergency department (ED) visits in order to reveal the causes for the frequent visits. Methods: Three cohorts of Danish children (total 579 721 children) were followed for three years when their ages were 0-2, 6-8, and 12-14 years. Information on all ED visits was obtained from the Danish National Patient Registry. Injury type, place of accident, injury mechanism, admission, and distance to ED were compared between children with frequent ED visits (five or more during the three years) and children with only one visit. Results: Children with frequent visits had a different injury pattern with 0-46% more superficial injuries and 25-82% more dislocations, sprains, and strains. There was 20-30% fewer fractures and 12% fewer falls from a higher level. 15-51% fewer were admitted. Conclusions: Children with many ED visits had less severe injuries and more dislocations, sprains, and strains.